Mariska Hargitay sprang into action to help reunite a lost child with her mother after she was mistaken for an on-duty New York police officer.
While filming the final episodes of season 25 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last week, the two-time Emmy winner, 60, took more than two decades to play a member of the city’s police department of New York (NYPD) on television for good use.
Like her character, Captain Olivia Benson, the actress quickly comforted the frightened little girl, who was “completely ignoring the camera crew,” an eyewitness told People.
The witness revealed that “the little girl became separated from her mother at Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park and asked Mariska for help” after noticing the police badge on her belt.
Mariska Hargitay sprang into action to help reunite a lost child with her mother after being mistaken for an on-duty police officer
Production was briefly halted as Hargitay, who was filming a scene with Ice-T before the hiatus, played the role of the detective.
In 20 minutes, the daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield managed to find the child’s mother.
After successfully reuniting the mother-daughter duo, she consoled them both, before returning to work.
Hargitay has previously spoken about the need to channel Olivia Benson’s mindset in emergency situations.
“There’s One Thing: WWOBD, “What Would Olivia Benson Do? “Fans were always talking about it, and one day it hit me. I also have these moments where I kind of slipped into her,” she told People in January.
She continued: “If there is a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Be strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story.
In the interview, she also praised the show for helping her embrace her “power” as a woman.
“I can’t imagine the show ending, and I can’t imagine not going on this journey with my cast, my crew,” she said. “I have so much to look forward to.”
While filming the final episodes of season 25 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in New York, the two-time Emmy winner, 60, took more than two decades to play a member of the city’s police department of New York (NYPD) for good use
Like her character, Captain Olivia Benson, the actress quickly comforted the lost little girl, who was “completely ignoring the camera crew,” an eyewitness told People.
The witness noted that “the little girl became separated from her mother at Anne Loftus Playground at Fort Tryon Park and asked Hargitay for help” after noticing the police badge on her belt.
From 1999 to 2011, she played second fiddle to Christopher Meloni, who played the program’s lead role as Elliot Stabler.
“I was the second detective alongside Elliot Stabler. He was the male lead and a bit more experienced and I was trying to catch up,” she reflected.
Things changed, however, after Christopher Meloni left the program in 2011 and she became the head of the program.
At the same time, her character, Olivia Benson, was also asked to become team captain.
Production was briefly halted while Hargitay, who was filming a scene with Ice-T, played the role of the detective.
In 20 minutes, the daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield managed to find the child’s mother.
Mariska admitted she had “two diametrically opposed reactions” to her show approaching its silver anniversary on air.
“First of all, I can’t believe it’s been 25 years, a quarter of a century! And the other is that I can’t see things any other way. I can’t imagine the show ending, and I can’t imagine not going on this journey with my cast, my crew,” she said.
“I have so much to look forward to. And I continue to grow. I love that you can be so many things at once. It’s learning to give yourself permission to be completely yourself.
His own philosophy is to “lead with my heart”. It’s hard for me to witness the pain of others. I’m like a laser. I do not speak very well. So I connect with people.
Previously, Hargitay talked about channeling Olivia Benson’s mindset in emergency situations (seen in the character in season 21).
“There’s One Thing: WWOBD, “What Would Olivia Benson Do? “Fans were always talking about it, and one day it hit me. I also have these moments where I kind of slipped into her,” she told People in January.
From 1999 to 2011, she played second fiddle to Christopher Meloni, who starred on the program as Elliot Stabler.
“The other thing is that I’m vulnerable. It’s my superpower. I’m someone who understands that you can be vulnerable and badass at the same time,” she said.
In a previous interview, Mariska emphasized that her “superpower” came from her upbringing, which was tinged with tragedy.
“I think I learned about the crisis very young, and I learned very young that things happen and there are no guarantees, and we move on. And then we transform it,” she told Glamor in 2021. “It’s kind of my superpower and the gift of having trauma early in life.”
She continued: “I was definitely in this frozen place for a lot of my childhood – trying to survive, actually trying to survive… my life has been a process of peeling back the layers and trusting and trust again.”
